Easy Nail Tutorial: 5 Sleek French Manicure Alternatives
Hi everyone. Do you love a classic, French manicure but you’re tired of getting the same style every time?
Follow along with this tutorial to learn a few French manicure alternatives to add to your repertoire.
Tools and materials:
- Nude polish
- Dark blue polish
- Light blue polish
- Pearl or translucent polish
- Fine, nail detail brush
Thin blue French manicure
1. Paint your base
For this version, start with a nude, base color.
2. Paint a thin tip
Using a contrasting or neon color, paint a barely-there tip using a fine, detail brush.
Here’s the final result of this French tip alternative:
I love this version because it’s a little bit edgy, just by switching up the color!
Double side tip
1. Paint your base
For this French manicure alternative, use a classic, transparent base polish. You can choose one that has a bit of shimmer to it if you’d like.
2. Paint the tip with a dark polish
Using your nail detail brush, using your polish shade of choice, begin painting the tip, angling it toward the center.
Work one stroke at a time to get the curve and thickness to be just right.
3. Add a light shade to the tip
Now, choose a lighter shade to paint right above the dark shade, following the curve and gradually getting thinner.
It’s up to you how thick or thin you want the lines to be.
Super cute, right?
Outlined French tip style
1. Paint your base
As with the previous French manicure alternative, start with a clear or pearl toned base polish.
2. Outline the free edge of the nail
Using a light color on your detail brush, outline the free edge (which is the light part at the tip of your nails).
It’s so important to use thick gel for this because you want the lines to be defined as opposed to runny.
Continue to outline this section, following the natural shape of the free edge.
Here’s this finished French tip style that’s been super trendy lately:
Patterned French tip
1. Paint your base
Again, begin by painting a clear or pearl toned base color.
2. Paint to mimic a watercolor
Using your fine, detail brush, use several shades of blue to paint in a watercolor-like manner on the free edge of the nail.
For this style, use the space on the free edge to paint any pattern that you like. With the right colors, it could be leopard print, or really anything you like.
Continue to switch shades, painting small blotches of color until the entire free edge is filled in with the pattern.
And here you have a water-marble-esque alternative French tip!
Angled, color block
1. Paint your base color
For this last, Instagram favorite, French tip style, paint a nude, base color.
2. Paint a deep, side angle
Using your detail brush and a dark blue polish, cut across from the side of the nail, higher than you would usually start.
3. Fill in
Then, fill in underneath the line with the same color.
That’s it!
French manicure alternatives
Now you’ve seen 5 different French tip alternatives. You can use one of blue French manicures on all of your nails or mix and match, throwing in some solid blue nails in between.
If you loved these French tip alternatives, try them out and you will see how simple they are to accomplish, even at home!
For tips on how to make your manicure last longer, check out my Simple Nails Refresh Tutorial.
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Simple ideas that are beautiful and look like they took hours! The water marble is my favorite! Thank you for sharing!
Have to ask, what is the name of the yellow nail polish? Great color!